(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a dispensing apparatus and, more particularly, to an apparatus for dispensing paper towels from a continuous roll of towels, which does not require re-adjustment each time a new roll is put in the dispenser.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Paper towel dispensers are commonly used for storing and dispensing products such as toilet tissue, hand towels, and others. Towels, for example, are often stored as a continuous roll paper sheet perforated at regular intervals to define individual towels and rolled into a cylindrical tube. The towel roll is housed in a container and dispensed by feeding the end of the paper roll through an opening, such as a slot or a nozzle. A user grasps the exposed end of the towel and pulls off a towel-length section, thereby exposing the end of the next section to be used.
Unfortunately, most prior-art paper towel dispensers have a number of shortcomings. First, the mechanisms used for dispensing the paper are complicated. For example, many mechanisms require the paper towel sheet to be initially fed through a variety of slots, turns, rollers, and passages. Thus, the process of installing a roll in such dispensers is often time consuming and difficult, as the towel must be manipulated through the numerous bends and turns which are often small and difficult to access. Once threaded, the paper sheet, if pulled too hard by the user, is liable to tear at a point before the sheet exits the dispenser, requiring the paper to be re-threaded.
Second, such prior-art dispensers, because they comprise numerous mechanical components, are often more expensive than less complicated dispensers and require additional maintenance to keep them in proper working condition.
In addition, most present towel dispensers accommodate a single size or strength of paper towel unless the dispenser is modified by service personnel. As a result, variations in the characteristics—such as thickness or strength—of the paper due to different brands, styles, or manufacturing variances produce dispenser problems, such as the paper being too wide or too narrow to be threaded through the dispenser. For example, towels are perforated to help control the size of the towel and provide an aesthetically pleasing edge when the towel is torn from the roll. Changes in the perforation resistance can result in the dispenser not adequately holding and tearing the roll, thereby causing additional sheets to be inadvertently pulled from the dispenser, which in turn produces wasted towels, frustrated users, and additional paper expense. Conversely, when perforation resistance is less than the dispenser setting, the towels tear from the roll without pulling the next sheet into position. The dispenser must then be opened—often by service personnel rather than the towel user—and the towel re-threaded through the opening. In summary, most current dispensers are unable to accommodate a variety of sizes without requiring timely and troublesome re-adjustments each time a new roll is put in the dispenser.
Thus there remains a need for a new and improved paper towel dispenser in which the paper roll is easily threaded and can be easily and quickly refilled while, at the same time, can automatically handle varying sizes and strengths of paper without requiring re-adjustment each time a new roll of paper towels is loaded into the dispenser.